"sailing" To The Northeast@punggol

[jasdy 0]

Glad you found something at the clearance sale. We popped by as well but nothing caught our eye at Grafunkt. Air had a black crater console display piece at 2.4k. Uber tempting.

Maybe we were there at the same time! Wife and I were there for almost two hours from 4-6 on sat. To be honest, the clearance sale wasn't great, and the place was stuffy and dusty.

Think the black crater console easily cost around $4k usually? If we had known about this, might have pondered over the Line console (which might not be a gd thing). Was the piece in relatively good condition and if you had gotten it, where do you intend to place it?

[jasdy 0]

Good that you have invested in a nice console.

Now get a solid sound system!

Hmm, to be honest, I do not have discerning ears but more of discerning eyes. Was thinking of getting a sound bar to avoid wire clutter. Actually, what would you recommend for a sound system if I have a limited budget of $600-800? Thanks in advance!

[adidaem 6]

Maybe we were there at the same time! Wife and I were there for almost two hours from 4-6 on sat. To be honest, the clearance sale wasn't great, and the place was stuffy and dusty.

Think the black crater console easily cost around $4k usually? If we had known about this, might have pondered over the Line console (which might not be a gd thing). Was the piece in relatively good condition and if you had gotten it, where do you intend to place it?

Nah, I was back home before that. Was only there for a very short while just after lunch. Too dusty as you said. I remember the small tables being available when I was there, so I figured you went after we left. You can actually see the tables and the crater console in this post:

http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/i-heart-clearance-sales/

I took one shot just of the crater console cos I was like...

Too bad you didn't read/subscribe to my blog, I think I published the post at 4.30 pm.

It is a very 'masculine' piece, so really not something that would fit in my place, but for the price... super tempting. And yes, the Air items were all in very good condition (unlike the Grafunkt ones). Super love the marble tables on clearance. Was there to look for a small item and didn't see anything. More for window shopping than anything else.

[jasdy 0]

Nah, I was back home before that. Was only there for a very short while just after lunch. Too dusty as you said. I remember the small tables being available when I was there, so I figured you went after we left. You can actually see the tables and the crater console in this post:

http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/i-heart-clearance-sales/

I took one shot just of the crater console cos I was like...

Too bad you didn't read/subscribe to my blog, I think I published the post at 4.30 pm.

It is a very 'masculine' piece, so really not something that would fit in my place, but for the price... super tempting. And yes, the Air items were all in very good condition (unlike the Grafunkt ones). Super love the marble tables on clearance. Was there to look for a small item and didn't see anything. More for window shopping than anything else.

Actually for the small tables, Grafunkt still have quite a few pieces left so they said can give us a brand new one.

Ok, I have learnt my lesson and subscribed to your blog. I actually visit your webblog every few days since you do update regularly (wondering how you find the time?) I actually only popped by Air Division once and that was about 2.5 wks ago. Most items we liked were quite pricey and there weren't many display piece clearances at that time but after seeing yr pics, I probably will go down to take a look today! Tks for the heads-up!

Edited December 17, 2012 by jasdy

[petetherock 13]

Hmm, to be honest, I do not have discerning ears but more of discerning eyes. Was thinking of getting a sound bar to avoid wire clutter. Actually, what would you recommend for a sound system if I have a limited budget of $600-800? Thanks in advance!

I don't have much experience with soundbars.

You can read about it here:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/home-theatre-audiophiles-13/soundbar-discussion-thread-%5Bconsolidated%5D-2916871.html

And if you want to get poisoned, come by my place:

http://www.xtremeplace.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=124772.0

[jasdy 0]

Simple tentative layout of all the major fixtures drawn by me to help my ID/contractor with the 3D pics!

Will also pass him all the photos of the furniture we bought and some general pics/themes that we liked so that the 3D pics will closely resemble the final outcome!

Will leave the colour coordination to him, so hopefully he is able to pick the colours of the tiles/walls to fit in nicely with all the furniture we have bought. This will then bring out the overall feel/theme that we want. And very importantly, guess he needs to come up with nice and affordable ceiling/lightings designs for the living room and MBR. Wife and I are almost totally clueless about which permutation to use (white vs warm lights, cove, downlights, T5 vs LED strips/beads, crystal, normal hanging lights) and lighting is so impt to the overall feel of the house!

Will be posting the 3D pics when they are done! Hopefully the first draft will be out b4 we receive out keys. The drawings will likely take at least another 1 wk plus or so.

[adidaem 6]

Actually for the small tables, Grafunkt still have quite a few pieces left so they said can give us a brand new one.

Ok, I have learnt my lesson and subscribed to your blog. I actually visit your webblog every few days since you do update regularly (wondering how you find the time?) I actually only popped by Air Division once and that was about 2.5 wks ago. Most items we liked were quite pricey and there weren't many display piece clearances at that time but after seeing yr pics, I probably will go down to take a look today! Tks for the heads-up!

So did you pop by Air Division? How is the stock situation?

Updates are dependent on:

(i) Workload.

(ii) Whether I am busy with some new TV series/book/whatever I am currently obsessed with.

(iii) Whether something is really time critical e.g. good sales - for these I'll usually do at least a quick post. Wordpress has an app that facilitates easy uploading of pics. I hardly photoshop so that's the trade-off. My blog readers have to deal with crappy blurry pics.

[jasdy 0]

So did you pop by Air Division? How is the stock situation?

Updates are dependent on:

(i) Workload.

(ii) Whether I am busy with some new TV series/book/whatever I am currently obsessed with.

(iii) Whether something is really time critical e.g. good sales - for these I'll usually do at least a quick post. Wordpress has an app that facilitates easy uploading of pics. I hardly photoshop so that's the trade-off. My blog readers have to deal with crappy blurry pics.

Yes, we went to take a quick look yesterday evening. There is a storewide 20% discount and more for some clearance/display items. Think slightly more items were on steeper discounts compared to a few wks ago. It was my wife's first time there though! She likes the place! She was quite fascinated with the Terrace console below. But it was way too ex! $5k after a 20% discount?

But have to admit that some of their items are really value for money after a 50% discount? A dining table with marble tops. If anybody is looking for good marble dining tables/coffee tables, should really pop by Air Division. Think the whole series having a 50% sale! For eg, the dining table below is available at slightly more than $2k.

Wife and I really liked this Line coffee table alot. Slightly less than $1k after a 50% discount. Although still cost considerably more than my purchase at Grafunkt, but I think it looks really classy! Perhaps afterall I prefer a white/walnut contrast to a scandi theme. Too bad I got the oak dining table alr. Can imagine Air Division's walnut dining table with frosted glass top, my purchased sofa, the walnut Grafunkt Line console and this coffee table coming together alr!

Most of their sofas are pretty and feel comfy too. But easily double the price of my Cellini's too! Maybe for my second home, when I have more $$$ and hopefully more space to play with, can get a few items from this place!

And the crater console was still there too. Have to agree with adidaem that it looks very masculine and probably would not fit well in a small hdb living room. Would really have given me much to reconsider if it comes in this shade:

Have decided to use more "beauty shots" from the net since my photo-taking skills sucks with the iphone.

To adidaem: Actually it's not just the updates on the webblog. It's also about visiting/reading so many other T-blogs here and leaving constructive comments. Most T-bloggers slowly "disappear" from RT after their reno are done. People like you, May_dream1 and pinkwhale are the exception and guess this is like a hobby or passion for you guys! As a result, many noobs like me have benefited from the advice and we really appreciate it!

[EdmundOng 0]

Thanks to the lead from adidaem and Mrs Loo, got to know about the Landex/Luzerne sale. For those who are not familiar with the brand, they sell ceramic table ware and their products are used by international hotels like Ritz Carlton and Shangri-La. Apparently, Food Republic uses it too!

We went down to the place on a Sunday afternoon. It was quite empty so it made for good shopping. Most of the collections were on 30% discount, with a further 10% if you are using a POSB/DBS credit card.

We were previously considering Corelle as it was much lighter but we were quite impressed with the finishing of the Luzerne products. Wife really likes those used by Food Republic too! Landex also has some nice melamine ware but wasn't so pleasing aesthetically and they did not belong to the Luzerne branding. Furthermore, can't be used for microwave purposes.

The below pic shows what we had bought in the end. Mainly the basics like soup spoons, plates, bowls and serving dishes (about 4-6 of each). After the discounts, cost only slightly above $100. Much more affordable than we thought! If you have a higher budget, you can even consider those with gold rims! Real classy!

Hi jasdy,

Do you know when the Landex/Luzerne sale will end? Thinking of going down this weekend. Thanks.

[deviansyh 0]

Hi jasdy,

Do you know when the Landex/Luzerne sale will end? Thinking of going down this weekend. Thanks.

last day they say is Xmas day.. better go down latest by Eve ba..

[EdmundOng 0]

last day they say is Xmas day.. better go down latest by Eve ba..

Hi deviansyh,

Thanks for the reply.

[jasdy 0]

Hope everyone has enjoyed all the merrymaking during this festive period!

To top-off the celebrations, we will be getting our keys from HDB tomorrow! Renovator will be joining us too to take the measurements for more effective space planning (since the space will almost always be smaller compared to the figs shown in the floor plan).

For your info, I had only realised that I had engaged a Renovator after reading this blog post (courtesy of adidaem's t-blog):

http://twentyseventhmay.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/choosing-the-right-interior-designerrenovatorcontractor/

Hopefully, we can confirm the quotation and 3D pics soon so that reno works will get started from the 2nd week of Jan!

[jasdy 0]

Not really having the best experience with my shortlisted renovator.

We met up with him yesterday when we received the keys to our new house. And credit to him for staying with us for an hour, taking down the exact measurements and sharing some ideas with us. However, wife and I got the niggling feeling that he is way too busy and might not have enough time for our project. Apparently, when we asked him if he could accompany us to check for defects, he was quite defensive and told us it should be done with the HDB personnel. But I was thinking better for him to be there and do the checks with us bcos once the reno work has started, I am going to hold him responsible for any defects to tiles, walls and windows that were not previously pointed our.

And when wife probed him on the 3D pics, he mentioned that having 3D pics would delay the start of the renovation (we wanted to start on 7 Jan) and wasn't as efficient as sketches. But hey, we gave him the furniture specs and pics almost two weeks back and it was he who requested for the pics. He also wasn't keen to commit to mid March for handover. His reasoning was that everybody was rushing for CNY and if there are delays to other projects, ours would be affected. Is this really true?

Although we are not in a rush, but still hope that we can move in by March since April is qin ming and it really doesn't make sense for us to have the keys in Dec but move in only in May. And personally, I dun think mid March is really being unreasonable. I fully understand that our project can never be completed by CNY, but one month after that? I am quite certain that tiling, ceiling works, electrical works and the brick wall should be completed before CNY and we can then start the carpentry after that. But my hunch is that he is getting way too popular (after a good recommendation on Renotalk) and could be biting off more than he could chew, plus the CNY deadline crunch. As a result, he has not been following up promptly recently. For eg, we are supposed to visit one of his client's place tmr but till now, no sms/calls from him yet. *sigh*

When we first met him, we found him to be really sincere and friendly and he also came up with some good ideas. And I guess he sorts of specialises in brick walls and the Scandi theme so it seemed a good choice. But now... thinking whether we should continue using him. Till now, we have not paid him a single cent but liaising with him for more than a mth already. So dunno if we are shortchanging him. You could even argue that he does not want to overpromise and underdeliver and that we are asking for too much (3Ds, defects checking) as he is essentially a contractor?

We are going to get one more quotation from another contractor as an alternative. He had done a good job at our friend's DBSS unit with excellent carpentry (not cheap too). We are sending the drawings (done by wife) below to him as a guide. As you can see, I really dun think our works are that extensive. (sorry for the unclear image as it's a pdf)

Edited December 28, 2012 by jasdy

[jasdy 0]

To all the followers out there (if there is any after this long hiatus), my renovation is about to be completed. As work started only during Mid-Jan and continued over the CNY period, the renovation is considered to be really smooth and the contractor will be handing over the place next week. Furniture would be in on 20 and 21 March and we would officially be moving in on 28 March. Woohoo!

Haven't had time to update this T-blog for the past 2 months as I was busy with work (changed to a new dept) and of cos... the renovation. Didn't really have the energy to post the nitty gritty details and the careful considerations behind the choice of tiles, laminates or even the paint colour. But in the next few posts, I would probably do a backdate and chronicle the progress of the renovation.

So first of all, I shall post the "ugly" 3-D pics prepared by the firm in early Jan. For most people, the common grouse is that the reno outcome will not live up to the 3-D pics. But for us, it's the other way round, not that we are complaining.

3D of Living Room

3D of Kitchen

[ProjectH 0]

Looking forward to seeing your photos!

To all the followers out there (if there is any after this long hiatus), my renovation is about to be completed. As work started only during Mid-Jan and continued over the CNY period, the renovation is considered to be really smooth and the contractor will be handing over the place next week. Furniture would be in on 20 and 21 March and we would officially be moving in on 28 March. Woohoo!

Haven't had time to update this T-blog for the past 2 months as I was busy with work (changed to a new dept) and of cos... the renovation. Didn't really have the energy to post the nitty gritty details and the careful considerations behind the choice of tiles, laminates or even the paint colour. But in the next few posts, I would probably do a backdate and chronicle the progress of the renovation.

So first of all, I shall post the "ugly" 3-D pics prepared by the firm in early Jan. For most people, the common grouse is that the reno outcome will not live up to the 3-D pics. But for us, it's the other way round, not that we are complaining.

3D of Living Room

3D of Kitchen